Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction:
In recent years IU has seen a significant decrease in the use of gym facilities offered to
students. This survey was conducted on behalf of IUSG’s health and wellbeing
committee for the purpose of evaluating the physical activity of students on Indiana
University's campus.
Methodology:
The survey was run on the web-based platform of Google Forms for four days,
November 4-7th, 2019. Over the course of these four days, the survey received 379
responses. The survey was advertised by sharing electronically over group messages,
GroupMe chats, personal social media, and in-person through tabling. On Wednesday,
November 6, at the 10th and Fee Ln intersections, as well as Thursday, November 7, at
the Ballantine Hall intersection and at the First Thursdays festival, IUSG members
passed out small sheets of paper with the QR code linked to the survey.
Due to the nature of the survey’s distribution, the survey was targeted toward IU
students. One flaw in the survey was that it did not include a section for a student to
report their student status or affiliation with the University.
Conclusion/ Recommendations:
1. One of the most notable findings is that 82% of students report a lack of exercise
because they don’t have the time. This is a gradual and long-term change, but
the IUSG Data Collection Team advocates for a continued push in marketing and
rhetoric to encourage students to make time for exercise. Possibly increasing
marketing of the weekly schedule of workout classes and advertising the value of
even 30 minute workout sessions could be valuable for this change.
2. With 99% of students reporting that exercise affects their mental health at least
somewhat, it may also be helpful to highlight exercise and its value in other
avenues of campus life. Many university departments and student efforts should
be commended for making increases in mental health accessibility a reality.
However, there are still many areas where progress is needed. Physical health is
one area of overall health that many students may forfeit to work on schoolwork
or other commitments.
3. Physical insecurities are a barrier to exercise for 23% of students. Ensuring that
gym spaces are inclusive and welcoming to students of all sizes, backgrounds,
abilities, and activity levels is a critical piece in helping students use the workout
spaces. Campaigns such as the “EveryBODY Week” are positive efforts to
ensure that people of all bodies can enjoy and feel welcomed at the gym spaces.